Thank you, Andrés Galarraga. I'm now 50 years old and I still remember those years with great emotion and fondness. You were and still are my idol. And I continue to relive those moments.
I loved the way he strutted to the plate. I also loved how he suited up every day after his cancer diagnosis to sit on the bench and lend his experience to the team. That's how baseball is supposed to be: honor, courage, no showboating, and cheaters go home. It was that way on the sandlot. The sandlots are gone, every kid has a uniform, and everybody gets a trophy. We figured out who was out and safe all by ourselves at the age of ten -- a skill that served me well.
I only got to see him play only for the Montreal Expos in 2002 vs Mets. Could have seen him play in a Met uniform in 2005, but he decided to retire at the end of spring training before starting the season in April.
Back in either June or July of 2000, I was fortunate to catch what was at the time a rare interleague night game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves in Baltimore at Camden Yards. My family and I had just finished having my follow up appointment with the orthopedic oncologist surgeon who saved my leg from amputation due to bone cancer at the Washington Hospital Center in DC. On a whim we decided to go to the Baltimore Harbor to have dinner and enjoy the evening when we found out that they were playing a game starting at 7:30pm. We managed to get 2 amazing seats for my dad and I only 3 rows from the third baseline just beyond the dugout. We got my mom a ticket in the cheap seats because she isn't a baseball fan and we knew that she would just wander the shops in the stadium instead of watching the game 😂. Stupidly I decided to try my luck with the other kids begging for autographs and wasn't having much luck. I say stupidly because at the time I was nearly a full year into undergoing harsh chemotherapy treatments and several surgeries due to bone cancer. At the game I had on shorts with a full leg immobilizer brace standing with two crutches, a very pale Casper white complexion, completely bald with no eyebrows or eyelashes, and weighed roughly 118 pounds on a good day at 5'8" tall and 16 years old. Andres Galarraga had just gotten over his very own battle with cancer and the moment he locked eyes with me while I was standing amongst the crowd of other kids I immediately felt his recognition of my condition and the concern for my well-being that came across his face was purely genuine. He motioned for me to step forward through the crowd and he welcomed me with a huge smile and a pat on my back once I made my way to him. He was awesome by allowing my mom and I to get a picture with him and he autographed a ball for me. Due to the language barrier between us there were very few words actually spoken but there didn't need to be either. In the moment we shared together he acknowledged the fight I was up against and reminded me that I wasn't alone in the struggle and he was pulling for me. It was a special moment that I will never forget. He was an amazing baseball player but more than that The Big Cat was a Hall of Fame Person. I am turning 40 years old this year and thankfully cancer free. I have that picture of the 3 of us and the autographed ball with the ticket stubs from that game sitting on my desk at home.
Excelente historia me da mucho sentimiento por lo que significa Andres Galarraga para nosotros los Venezolanos. Y Feliz por ti porque estas bien y libre de cáncer. Que Dios te bendiga y te de larga vida mucha salud y felicidad.
Luis omar desde la República Dominicana my respecto a este hombre que marcó un antes y un después en el béisbol de las grandes ligas que grade eres big Cat Andrés el gato galarraga se me eriza la piel cuando veo los videos de este hombre
I watch this and i remember how much i used to love baseball, it's amazing to me how much i enjoyed it back then and now i pay absolutely no attention to it whatsoever.
Para Mí , Después de Luis Aparicio, Andrés es el Mejor Pelotero que hemos tenido en las MLB, Se Transformó en una Super Estrella, Venció Todos Los Obstáculos, pasó de ser un Gordito a Un Súper Atleta, A Ser el BIG CAT DE VENEZUELA
Pienso que el Gato es un gigante, y es uno de los mejores exponentes del siglo xx, y tiene un plus de gallardía cómo superó el cáncer,, no obstante, creo que en el siglo XXI, hemos tenido otros exponentes de mayor trascendencia, Miguel Cabrera... seguro salón de la fama en primera ronda, José Altuve, que si sigue sano romperá todos los records de postemporada, y es posiblemente el mejor 2b de la historia, pienso que Acuña, está hecho para ser otro de los grandes... en fin... para mi Galarraga es el ídolo de mi niñez, cabrera el de mi adolescencia y adultez temprana y altuve el de mi adultez. PD: nadie me sacará de la cabeza que el Big Cat tiene el HR más largo de la historia del baseball y que si batea esa bola en colorado llega a 600 ft.... pero bueh... no le iban a dar a un venezolano el record del HR más largo de la historia...
As a youngin I really have no recollection of the ws appearances of the 90s. BUT what I absolutely do remember is bring live at a game when the big cat hit a grand slam. Never forget how insane the crowd got.
In 2000 I saw him hit a line drive at Shea Stadium and God Almighty I don't know how Robin Ventura snagged this thing. You could feel it off the bat and in the glove.
La fase más bonita de Atlanta bravos fue Andrés galarraga en el 92 93 y felicito a los bravos de Atlanta por la serie mundial de 2020 2021 el mejor de todos los tiempos ( BIT CAT
2:38 did the announcer say it would be noise pollution? Apparently he forgot that Atlanta crowds didn’t know how to create noise pollution at that point in time.
Desde república dominicana recordando ese admirable pelotero de tanto talento Andrés "EL GATO" Galarraga.
Thank you, Andrés Galarraga. I'm now 50 years old and I still remember those years with great emotion and fondness. You were and still are my idol. And I continue to relive those moments.
The man had style and grace
I loved the way he strutted to the plate. I also loved how he suited up every day after his cancer diagnosis to sit on the bench and lend his experience to the team. That's how baseball is supposed to be: honor, courage, no showboating, and cheaters go home. It was that way on the sandlot. The sandlots are gone, every kid has a uniform, and everybody gets a trophy. We figured out who was out and safe all by ourselves at the age of ten -- a skill that served me well.
Thank you. He was my favorite player for sure. Fortunate to have seen dozens of games with him as a Brave.
I was fortunate to see one game with him!!
El gato es mi favorito tambien….idk I jus love this dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I only got to see him play only for the Montreal Expos in 2002 vs Mets. Could have seen him play in a Met uniform in 2005, but he decided to retire at the end of spring training before starting the season in April.
El mejor !!
Back in either June or July of 2000, I was fortunate to catch what was at the time a rare interleague night game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves in Baltimore at Camden Yards. My family and I had just finished having my follow up appointment with the orthopedic oncologist surgeon who saved my leg from amputation due to bone cancer at the Washington Hospital Center in DC. On a whim we decided to go to the Baltimore Harbor to have dinner and enjoy the evening when we found out that they were playing a game starting at 7:30pm. We managed to get 2 amazing seats for my dad and I only 3 rows from the third baseline just beyond the dugout. We got my mom a ticket in the cheap seats because she isn't a baseball fan and we knew that she would just wander the shops in the stadium instead of watching the game 😂. Stupidly I decided to try my luck with the other kids begging for autographs and wasn't having much luck. I say stupidly because at the time I was nearly a full year into undergoing harsh chemotherapy treatments and several surgeries due to bone cancer. At the game I had on shorts with a full leg immobilizer brace standing with two crutches, a very pale Casper white complexion, completely bald with no eyebrows or eyelashes, and weighed roughly 118 pounds on a good day at 5'8" tall and 16 years old. Andres Galarraga had just gotten over his very own battle with cancer and the moment he locked eyes with me while I was standing amongst the crowd of other kids I immediately felt his recognition of my condition and the concern for my well-being that came across his face was purely genuine. He motioned for me to step forward through the crowd and he welcomed me with a huge smile and a pat on my back once I made my way to him. He was awesome by allowing my mom and I to get a picture with him and he autographed a ball for me. Due to the language barrier between us there were very few words actually spoken but there didn't need to be either. In the moment we shared together he acknowledged the fight I was up against and reminded me that I wasn't alone in the struggle and he was pulling for me. It was a special moment that I will never forget. He was an amazing baseball player but more than that The Big Cat was a Hall of Fame Person. I am turning 40 years old this year and thankfully cancer free. I have that picture of the 3 of us and the autographed ball with the ticket stubs from that game sitting on my desk at home.
Excelente historia me da mucho sentimiento por lo que significa Andres Galarraga para nosotros los Venezolanos. Y Feliz por ti porque estas bien y libre de cáncer. Que Dios te bendiga y te de larga vida mucha salud y felicidad.
Luis omar desde la República Dominicana my respecto a este hombre que marcó un antes y un después en el béisbol de las grandes ligas que grade eres big Cat Andrés el gato galarraga se me eriza la piel cuando veo los videos de este hombre
I watched this guy on the braves team on TBS all the time , upper body strength was good and his swing was so smooth
Man the big cat was a beast!!!! I loved watching him!!! I remember in 98 his was on pace to run with Big Mac and sosa - it wasn’t meant to be.
The Big Cat
I remember as a kid I was stoked to see him sign with Atlanta. I’ll never forget the 500plus foot home run he hit off Kevin Brown in Florida…
All time favorite.....wish he made the HOF
Man… you imagine having Fred Mcgriff and then Galarraga replacing him?!
What a great hitter he was… DAMN!
Esos si eran batazos de verdad . Aún no a llegado un 2 Galarraga venezolano
I watch this and i remember how much i used to love baseball, it's amazing to me how much i enjoyed it back then and now i pay absolutely no attention to it whatsoever.
El primero jonrón a un tal Pedro Martínez.
Orgullo de Venezuela
Para Mí , Después de Luis Aparicio, Andrés es el Mejor Pelotero que hemos tenido en las MLB, Se Transformó en una Super Estrella, Venció Todos Los Obstáculos, pasó de ser un Gordito a Un Súper Atleta, A Ser el BIG CAT DE VENEZUELA
Pienso que el Gato es un gigante, y es uno de los mejores exponentes del siglo xx, y tiene un plus de gallardía cómo superó el cáncer,, no obstante, creo que en el siglo XXI, hemos tenido otros exponentes de mayor trascendencia, Miguel Cabrera... seguro salón de la fama en primera ronda, José Altuve, que si sigue sano romperá todos los records de postemporada, y es posiblemente el mejor 2b de la historia, pienso que Acuña, está hecho para ser otro de los grandes... en fin... para mi Galarraga es el ídolo de mi niñez, cabrera el de mi adolescencia y adultez temprana y altuve el de mi adultez.
PD: nadie me sacará de la cabeza que el Big Cat tiene el HR más largo de la historia del baseball y que si batea esa bola en colorado llega a 600 ft.... pero bueh... no le iban a dar a un venezolano el record del HR más largo de la historia...
Que maravilloso pelotero venció al cáncer es un tremendo ser humano.
Man do I miss this era of baseball 😩
Very intimidating presence on the plate
Yeah 🤣
Para mi EL NUMERO UNO por siempre
He actually got his Big Cat nickname from his defense cause he was agile like a cat
Sin duda alguna poseía un swing devastador
Un Grande el Gato Andes Galarraga quedara en la Historia del
This men is a hero
Him and Juan Gonzales are the reason I started batting with an open stance
Fun to watch during those TBs days.
Righties do have beautiful swings
El gato galarraga excelente bateador y fildeador de la primera base.
UNO de los grandes.
Triste que tanto Galarraga como Vizquel no hayan tenido un anillo de serie mundial y en sus tiempos fueron grandes equipos
As a youngin I really have no recollection of the ws appearances of the 90s. BUT what I absolutely do remember is bring live at a game when the big cat hit a grand slam. Never forget how insane the crowd got.
Es un crimen que este caballo no esté en el Hall of fame
In 2000 I saw him hit a line drive at Shea Stadium and God Almighty I don't know how Robin Ventura snagged this thing. You could feel it off the bat and in the glove.
La fase más bonita de Atlanta bravos fue Andrés galarraga en el 92 93 y felicito a los bravos de Atlanta
por la serie mundial de 2020 2021 el mejor de todos los tiempos ( BIT CAT
The mound charge is the best part. If he would’ve connected with that guy he’d killed him.. the Braves were their best back then also
El Gato Andrés Galarraga
El Gato Grande
Felicidades 62 años para el gran gato..
Mi 😂Mamá en forma irónica decia que Andrés no le gustaba correr, asi que bateaba cuadrangulares para irse trotando hacía las bases 😂 un buen análisis
The big cat who has a better name?
He put up just a monster season in 1998.
Uno de los mejores primera base del mundo , y bateaba sin guantines y superó el cáncer para ser mejor jugador
Bobby Bonilla sighting @ 3:28
Why isn't he being considered for the Hall of Fame? He has 399 home runs.
Por ser venezolano por eso
El gran gato de chapellin "
2:38 did the announcer say it would be noise pollution? Apparently he forgot that Atlanta crowds didn’t know how to create noise pollution at that point in time.
Mucha vista tanto en bateo cómo en fildeo
el gato
HOF